Really Good Yeast Rolls!

PublishedSeptember 24, 2010

There is nothing like warm bread fresh from the oven! I could probably live on bread alone…it is one of my favorite things!

I love to make dinner rolls to serve with some meals and I like them a particular way. They should be light and fluffy with just a hint of whole wheat…oh and I like them a little sweet too! I made some really good rolls a couple of months ago for my little granddaughter’s first birthday. They were a hit with everyone and my son just reminded me that all the guests requested some to take home and made sure they were equally divided.

The only trouble is…I’m bad in the kitchen. I’m always trying something new or making changes to something I’ve made before…but…I don’t write it down. So if it turns out good…I can’t always remember what I did! This happened to me last week during my cooking classes with Debra and Laura. We made rolls but they didn’t turn out well because I didn’t really remember just what I had done to them.

So I told the girls to give me a chance to work on it and I would do a better job of re-creating my rolls and get back to them with the recipe. So…my new friends…Debra and Laura…this is for you! Much better than the ones we did when you were here.

I usually use my Kitchen Aid mixer to make bread. It does everything you can do by hand and is much easier and faster.

Measure out your dry ingredients and put them in the mixing bowl. Mix together with using your dough hook attachment.

Heat your milk and butter and set aside.

Dissolve your yeast in warm water. Put your mixer on the slowest speed and pour in the yeast mixture. Then add the milk mixture and let the mixer do all the work. I usually let it knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes. Your dough should be soft but incorporating all the dry ingredients so it is actually leaving the sides of your bowl clean as it kneads the dough. You can always add a little more water if it looks too dry.

After kneading the dough just pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large bowl and using a spatula dump the dough into the bowl.

Turn it over with your hands making sure it is covered with the olive oil. I usually put a piece of wax paper over the top as you let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size.

Carefully pull off the waxed paper just knead the dough a little in the bowl. It should be soft but not sticking to your hands. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.

Spray your baking pans with cooking spray and if I’m using a cookie sheet I usually line it with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper.

Using one hand lift your dough with a couple of fingers and pinch off with the other hand a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball or a little smaller. They will almost double in size so keep that in mind when thinking about the size. You can make them any size but the rising and cooking time might vary a bit.

Place the rolls with space for rising around each in a glass or metal baking dish. You can brush the tops of the rolls with any of this for browning…

Egg whites – just mix with a little water for spreading consistency

Heavy cream

Melted Butter

You can also sprinkle the tops with sesame or poppy seeds.

Let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes and bake at 350º for 15 minutes or until well browned.

Leah’s Dinner Rolls

6 cups unbleached flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups warm water (not hot…warm)

2 tablespoons dry instant yeast

2 cups milk

1 stick butter

In mixing bowl or large bowl add flours, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Warm milk and butter in small saucepan until butter melts and mixture is very warm but not boiling. Let the milk mixture cool for at least 5 minutes.

With mixer on low speed or by hand…add yeast mixture to flour mixing until all incorporated in flour. Mixture will be very thick. Add warm milk mixture and knead until all flour is incorporated in dough. You can add a little more warm water if needed at this point.

Continue kneading for at least 8-10 minutes in mixer or until dough is very soft and not sticky if kneading by hand.

Pour several tablespoons (3-4) olive oil in large bowl. Using a spatula scrape the dough into bowl. Turn it over and tuck sides under making sure the dough is covered with oil. Let the dough rise in warm spot until double in size (1-1 ½ hours).

The man of my (disturbing) dreams can fix anything with duct tape and a tie wrap! He's obsessive compulsive with a "triple AAA" personality. When he's not ordering me around or throwing a "hissy fit" he's prone to bouts of vacuuming and mowing. Just click on the photo for a complete list of posts to read about his latest antics!

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